cp176

It will be very interesting for sure if Vazquez is in fact healthy and ready to go. Health should be the reason and not the excuse for sending Vazquez down.

It's fairly rare that any team has added a Cy Young starter as well as a reliever who has produced the way Kimbrel has produced for the last few years both in one off-season. It will be forever debatable whether the cost was too high of not. The fact remains that they addressed really glaring weaknesses and managed to keep the prospects that stand the best chance of being impact players in the near future. I think that it will be very interesting to see who is their opening day catcher regardless of the promises John Farrell has made. Vazquez is throwing the ball and looks good doing it.

I think the key piece here is the "right now" thing. For this year, I think that they have enough there to fill in for both or either Castillo or JBJ. Young - Holt. I hope that they do start moving a player like Shaw around a bit. the power in his bat could be very useful wherever he plays. I also hope that they move Moncada just a bit. Everything that I have read about him seems to indicate that he is for real but he may not be our second baseman going forward. they need to find a place for him fairly soon. Moncada and Benintendi both might be the better options going forward than either Castillo or JBJ . Thank you Ben (sorry- couldn't resist)

Old school?

I would rather have Price over Lester any which way. That is assuming that I could not have them both.

I think so . It is the real world. If you are responsible, the person in charge, normally you want to take the blame for the bad and give credit to others when good things happen. Is that another concept that defines me as one of those old fools? I guess that I am one so I am ok with that .

just jumping in here - I really am happy that Price was signed. A power move. Actually a great move if you are a team with the budget (lol) the Red Sox have. The decision to not sign Lester works only if you back it up with someone better regardless of the cost. They simply did not back it up.

Based on what I just read, the games are just beginning. Vazquez won't go quietly off to AAA. Says that he is 100%. May the best player get the job.

If you are referring to me, I give him plenty of credit for the job that he did. I'm just not going to place him on any type of pedestal. He was a role player in a truly great organization. I really don't think that he was any better or any worse than others before him. Actually on this forum Ben's career has taken on the proverbial life of its own. His accomplishments or lack thereof are not very important to me. By the way - my opinion- I think that he gets plenty of credit for his accomplishments from most of us. Once again though if you are going to critique him, you have to consider the whole body of work.

I think that you seriously believe what you just wrote - that is sad. Ben does not deserve all of the credit that you think he does. It is a team game with a team approach. I hope Dombrowski gets the job done. For the record I am not singing his praises. I admire anyone who has your sense of loyalty even though unless he is a family member i don't get it. Was it the see ya that bugged you? Good job helping to build the farm ben - good luck dd. That's all I got.

I don't know about the choice of words but a great deal had to go right for 2013 to turn out like it did. I truly believe that overall team chemistry had as much to do with it as anything. Put a bunch of well paid, motivated, hard working team first players in a room together and good things will happen. Throw in the kind of luck that any team might need to win a championship and it all just seemed to come together. Divine intervention perhaps. I don't think many people saw it coming.

Wow - you had to do it didn't you. You must be bored! Trying to give one person too much credit or too much blame for the decisions relating to baseball in this organization is really kind of pointless. John Henry being the exception here I think it takes a whole group of people working hard to make either the right or wrong moves. General Managers come and go kind of like principals in a school. Obviously they are on the frontline but more often than not the real power does not lie soley in their hands. Good job Ben - see ya . Hello DD - off to a great start.

let me count the ways - never ending

Oh I'm pretty sure that he will get that chance. All that being said, I would be just as excited to see Shaw playing third(which he has an can) with Sam Travis at first. I'm anxious for the day that we can put the "hope they play to their potential" and the "they just can't be as bad as last year" guys are somewhere else. As for Farrell, he knows that his job is on the line. If anyone gets off to a bad start, the pressure will be such that he won't give them half a season to get it together. I realize that this is a minority opinion and I don't need to hear about how good we are going to be if-if-if-if. It is what it is and I will be cheering for Sandoval and Ramirez as loudly as any other fan. The day will come when we will be younger, faster, stronger and more mentally complete than we are right now. I am anxious for that day.

nice! he just looks like he is worth millions to me. Maybe it is his contract year and everything will be ok.

I kind of agree with you but if that isn't him in the pic (which i don't think it is) all bets are off. If that is him, he has been eating about as often as one of those burmese pythons they have been catching in the everglades which isn't all that often.

check with your boss

but not for us normal folk right

Sadly, on second glance, this is not a picture of someone weighing as much as we know Sandoval still weighs. He would have had to have lost about 1/3 of his body for this to be accurate. They got us with this one.

I agree with you. We all know that Price isn't going to be throwing the ball for the rest of the boys but his overall approach to the game - his fitness level - his work habits- concern for teammates - could be a major difference maker. Sometimes talented people need a little incentive , a little shove to be better. Having a leader on the staff who has high expectations for everyone else could be a big key for a player like Buchholz. In a perfect world, highly paid athletes always perform up to the standards or maybe even to the level the stats say they should without having to be pushed. The world isn't perfect. Major League Baseball is filled with highly paid numbskulls. Some of them still need some guidance!

stupid - arrogant - rich - describes a large number of professional athletes today

It looks like they are heading in the right direction.

i appreciate what you are saying here. I have a great deal of interest in the Sox minor league programs for lots of reasons. First of all, I enjoy going to and watching a minor league game much more than I enjoy going to Fenway. I'm just getting older I guess. Been in Boston and have fought the traffic, tried to figure out the MBTA, and tried to follow the map at the Fine Arts Museum. No luck for me - I am a rube. Another reason I enjoy following them particularly recently is that I am just not sure that our overall lineup is as good as it could be and might be soon. First base - third base - the outfield - our rotation and our bullpen quite possibly will be helped by the infusion of youth that will be here soon. I am really anxious to hear what you have to say after you see a few of these guys this spring. Brian Johnson - Pat Light - Sam Travis for 3. Sadly when I read Buccholtz's comments about needing to do everything this year that he should have been doing forever because it is a contract year, I can't help but look forward to watching some of these youngsters who treat everyday with a sense of urgency.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2016/02/12/brian-bannister-and-art-making-pitchers-better/MjT29OjB0q9TnYZyLggpDJ/story.html?event=event25 Great article. Brian Bannister son of Floyd (remember him) - glad that he is one of us.

Saw this picture earlier. here's hoping!!!